Counterfire Marriage — Chapter 10

HONG YOOYEON.

PASTRIES...

I BOUGHT SOME.

WANT ONE?

TEN MINUTES EARLIER.

HYUNMYUNG FOUND HIMSELF WRESTLING WITH A DILEMMA HE HAD NEVER FACED IN HIS LIFE.

How could the Executive Director possibly stop the world from changing?

AI stole my dreams and my future...

Programmers have no place left in society anymore...

COMFORTING SOMEONE...

HOW DO YOU EVEN DO THAT?

Genene

I'm not good at comforting people. What should I do when I need to comfort someone?

When the moment comes to comfort someone, do you immediately feel the pressure of thinking, “I need to say something brilliant to make them feel all better”? However, in reality, comforting someone isn't actually about finding some brilliant answer.

HOW ABOUT OFFERING A MODEST, PRESSURE-FREE GIFT TO HELP MELT AWAY THEIR WEARY HEART?

THIS JUST GETS MORE DAUNTING BY THE SECOND...

WHAT ON EARTH IS "A GIFT THAT MELTS THE HEART WITHOUT BEING A BURDEN"?

MY SISTER WOULD JUMP RIGHT OUT OF BED FOR PASTRIES.

ESPECIALLY RED BEAN BUNS.

THAT'S WHY I KEEP BUYING THEM.

HOPING THAT MAYBE SHE'D SNAP HER EYES OPEN...

REMEMBERING THOSE WORDS, HYUNMYUNG RUSHED STRAIGHT TO A BAKERY.

IS IT SOFT ENOUGH FOR A PATIENT TO EAT?

LET'S START WITH A LIQUID DIET FIRST AND GRADUALLY EXPAND FROM THERE.

DOCTOR, CAN'T I HAVE BREAD?

IT'S STILL TOO DANGEROUS.

STICK TO LIQUIDS FOR NOW.

IF YOU CHEW BREAD REALLY WELL, IT PRACTICALLY TURNS INTO LIQUID IN YOUR MOUTH...

THINK OF YOURSELF AS A ONE-YEAR-OLD INFANT.

YOU MUST TREAT YOUR DIET AS IF YOU'RE WEANING ONTO BABY FOOD.

BREAD...

SWEET, SOFT, FLUFFY...

...RED BEAN BUN!!

I... SHOULDN'T REALLY BE EATING THIS YET...

IT'S FINE.

I REALLY SHOULDN'T, THOUGH...

I'LL TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY, SO GO AHEAD AND EAT.

HOW ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY...?

IT'S NOT LIKE YOU CAN TAKE THE STOMACHACHE FOR ME IF I GET SICK...

JUST EAT SLOWLY.

CHEW EACH BITE THOROUGHLY THIRTY TIMES.

I WON'T LET YOU HURT. I PROMISE.

WELL... SINCE YOU'RE PRACTICALLY BEGGING ME,

I GUESS I HAVE NO CHOICE...!!

I TOLD YOU TO EAT SLOWLY!

THAT'S ENOUGH, STOP EATING.

YOU GRABBED IT SO SUDDENLY THAT I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO THE RED BEAN FILLING...

THAT'S COMPLETELY DISRESPECTFUL TO A RED BEAN BUN.

THEN YOU CAN HAVE ANOTHER BITE AFTER CHEWING THIRTY TIMES.

ONE, TWO...

THREE, FOUR...

FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN, ELEV—TWELVE...

HEY, SLOW DOWN!

JUST EAT.

YOU KNOW, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR...

I THINK YOU REALLY KNOW HOW TO COMFORT PEOPLE.

NO, I DON'T...

AI TOLD ME EVERYTHING.

...IS THAT SO.

ALL FINISHED...

SATISFIED NOW?

I'D LOVE TO HAVE ANOTHER, BUT...

IT MIGHT BE DIFFICULT RIGHT NOW,

BUT SOMEDAY YOU WILL.

YOU SURE CAN BE STRICT WHEN YOU WANT TO BE.

NATURALLY.

THANK YOU.

HAVING SOMETHING SWEET REALLY CALMED MY NERVES.

AS FOR WHAT I'LL DO TO MAKE A LIVING ONCE I'M DISCHARGED,

I'LL BRAINSTORM REAL HARD WHILE REGAINING MY STRENGTH.

I'M SURE THERE'S A MOUNTAIN OF WORK AHEAD,

BUT HAVING PLENTY OF HURDLES TO CLEAR

JUST MEANS THE REWARD WILL BE THAT MUCH GREATER.

I NEED TO STUDY, AND...

...KEEP COMING UP WITH NEW IDEAS.

...OH.

AND I WAS ALSO THINKING...

I'D LIKE TO MEET DO YONGTAE AGAIN.

I WANT TO HEAR THE FULL DETAILS FROM HIM...

WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?

OH, NO...

...I DON'T MEAN ANYTHING WEIRD BY IT,

I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT HE WAS THINKING WHEN HE STOLE MY PROGRAM,

AND UNDERSTAND THE FULL STORY PROPERLY.

AFTER ALL, AS THE VICTIM, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S HAPPENED ALL THIS TIME.

AND ONCE YOU HEAR HIM OUT,

ARE YOU GOING TO FORGIVE HIM IF HE HAD AN UNAVOIDABLE EXCUSE?

DO YOU HONESTLY THINK DO YONGTAE WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH?

NO, IT'S JUST...

I'M CURIOUS WHAT KIND OF EXCUSES HE'LL MAKE...

WHY WOULD YOU CARE ABOUT HIS EXCUSES?

ANY HUMAN BEING...

WOULD WANT TO SEE HIS REACTION...

WHY DID YOU STEAL MY PROGRAM?

ANYONE WOULD WANT TO CONFRONT HIM LIKE THAT...

WAIT A SECOND,

ARE YOU SCOLDING ME RIGHT NOW?

WHEN DID I EVER SCOLD YOU?

YOU TOTALLY ARE.

YOUR EYES GOT ALL SHARP WHILE INTERROGATING ME!

AFTER I EVEN BOUGHT YOU A RED BEAN BUN.

WHY BRING THAT UP NOW? THAT'S SO PETTY!

THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER ACCEPT BRIBES!

IT WAS A GIFT, NOT A BRIBE.

IF YOUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY WAS STOLEN, SUING HIM IS THE NATURAL COURSE OF ACTION.

WHAT REASON IS THERE TO GO SEE HIM PERSONALLY?

I'M THE VICTIM HERE,

SO WHY DOES IT SEEM THAT YOU HATE DO YONGTAE EVEN MORE THAN I DO?

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, YOU TOLD ME THAT YOU DIDN'T HELP ME OUT OF EMBARRASSMENT OVER THAT MEETING TWO YEARS AGO.

YET YOU TOLD MY SISTER THAT YOU HAD WRONGED ME.

DO YOU FEEL GUILTY ABOUT MY ACCIDENT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR?